Bookbinding.



E. R. RICHARDS" BOOKBINDLNG.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 28, 1914.

1,169,868. v Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

WITNESSES INVENTOR .EmsZ'R.Ric Lard/s. v

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNST R. RICHARDS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO SEARS, ROEBUCK AND COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

BOOKBINDING.

Specification of Letters Patent;

Patented. Feb. 1, 1916.

Application filed January 28, 1914. Serial No. 814,849.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, 'ERNsT R. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bookbinding, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the binding of books containing a large number of sheets of paper or other substances, where it is not desirable or practicable to secure the sheets together by sewing or wire-stitching.

The invention has for its object the production of a simple, inexpensive and convenient binding which shall fasten the sheets, leaves or sections so that they cannot fall out, and so that when the book is opened it will lie flat and the portions of printed matter adjacent to the inner margins may be plainly seen.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one exemplification of my invention.

Figure 1 isa perspective view of a book with portions of the cover cut away to show i the binding means which I use in this embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the book, with parts in section. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken in the plane of dotted line 3 of Fig. 2. Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are sectional views showing diiferent steps in the process.

' In the drawings, the leaves of the book are indicated by the letter A; the cover by B; the strings or pieces of tape which bind the leaves together, by C; and the holes through which these cords pass, by E. In binding the book, a series of holes E are punched in the leaves near the rear edge thereof, and a string or tape 0 is passed through each of the holes E. A coating of adhesive material F is then applied to the rear edges of the set of leaves; the ends of the strings are laid across the back of the book upon said coating of adhesive material; a sheet D of cloth -or other suitable material is then placed upon the coated edge of the set of leaves, said sheet covering the strings and overlapping the sides of the set of leaves to a point slightly beyond the holes E, as indicated in the drawings; and a cover B, conslsting of a sheet of paper or other suitable material, is laid upon the cloth D, and sufficient pressure applied to the back of the book to cause the adhesive material to penetrate the cloth and hold the cover B.

The book-binding method herein disclosed may be rapidly and conveniently carried out, and provides abinding which is not only inexpensive, but is so flexible as to permit the book to be opened flat, and yet will not allow leaves or sections to fall out I wish it to be understood that the hereinbefore described mode of operation is susceptible of modification Without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

A flat opening book comprising a set of leaves provided with coinciding openings therethrough, a flexible fibrous string passed through said holes, the end portions of said string being folded back and attached to the contiguous edges of said leaves by an adhesive, a cover sheet extending over said string and overlapping the sides of the set of leaves, said cover sheet beingattached to the leaves and string by an adhesive, and a cover for the back edge and sides of the group of leaves.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ERNST R. RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

B. A. KUGEMANN, J. S. MURRAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

